For a person conscious of his spirituality, self-denial is as much a good as the satisfaction of passions and lusts is for a person living an animal life.
The one who does good for others is good. If he suffers for doing good, then he is even better; if he suffers from those for whom he does good, he attains the highest goodness, which can only be amplified by suffering more for what he continues to do; to die for it is the highest perfection.
— La Bruyère
He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. He who does not take his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.
— Matthew 10:37–39
There is no higher good for a human being then to selflessly work for the good of others—to work for the eternal good. When people begin obeying the common interest the same way as they now obey their private ambitions, they will discover peace and happiness, and before them will be revealed those infinite manifestations of heavenly wisdom which are at present invisible to them.
— Lucy Mallory
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
— Matthew 16:24–26
As the flame consumes the candle, so does goodness consume private life.
As the wax melts from the flame, so is the consciousness of private life destroyed by doing good.
Death destroys the body the same way that scaffolding is taken down after a building has been constructed. And the one whose building has been constructed is glad at the destruction of the scaffolding, i.e. his body.
Always there is a black spot in our sunshine: it is even as I said, the Shadow of Ourselves.
— Carlyle
Self-love is a prison for the soul, which deprives one of happiness just as surely as jail deprives one of physical freedom.
— Lucy Mallory
We only truly live for ourselves when we live for others. This seems strange, but give it a try, and experience will convince you that it is really so.
If a person leads a spiritual life, then a renunciation of worldly goods cannot seem to him worthy of merit. He cannot do otherwise. By doing this he makes his situation better, not worse.
